Latest News from Equality Now - December 2012

Equality Now honored at 2nd Annual TrustLaw Awards On 3 December, Equality Now received the TrustLaw Impact Award[1] at a ceremony in London alongside project partners Latham & Watkins and RBS. Celebrating “how real change happens when you bring the right people together,” TrustLaw and its parent company, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, recognized our joint work to address the sex trafficking of women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East/North Africa region. Watch a video about our collaboration[2]. 2 for 1 matching grant ends 31 December! Last month we announced that a new donor had generously agreed to match online donations* through the end of the year. If you’ve made a gift, thank you! If you haven’t yet, please take advantage of this incredible opportunity to double your impact by making a donation today[3].

Brazil/U.S. sex tourism case can advanceOn 28 November, a U.S. judge granted the motion to lift the stay in the civil case spearheaded by Equality Now[4], of a U.S. company operating sex tours in Brazil. In his decision, the judge ruled that the pending foreign case does not require that the U.S. case be stayed. We hope this precedent will help expand survivors’ rights and access to justice in the U.S.

Government officials, journalists and civil society organizations in Brazil are using this case as a resource to expose sex tourism in the region. Next year, a new Brazilian congressional commission on sexual exploitation of minors is traveling to Amazonas to investigate the issue further.

Leveson report acknowledges sexism in the UK pressOn 29 November, the Leveson Inquiry released its report into the culture, practice and ethics of the UK press. Equality Now is part of a coalition of women’s organizations[5] who made significant contributions throughout the process. We were encouraged to have several of the coalition’s concerns reflected in the report. Lord Justice Leveson suggested that there is evidence to show that the tabloid press often fails to show “respect for the dignity and equality of women generally,” while there is a “tendency to sexualize and demean women.” He agreed with a key coalition recommendation that “what is clearly required is that any such [new] regulator [should have] the power to take complaints from representative women’s groups.” (Photo: Graham Turner for the Guardian[6].)

Kingdom of Swaziland ratifies the ProtocolSwaziland became the 35th African Union (UN) member state to ratify the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa[7] on 6 November. The SOAWR coalition[8] continues to call upon the remaining 19 AU member states to ratify this important instrument for women’s rights.

4 Dec - Eliminating FGM in the UK, the way forward[10]: “Alongside attempts to strengthen existing legislation, renewed focus on education about FGM is also urgently required to protect the fundamental human rights of all children.”

4 Dec - U.S. Violence Data Bolsters Case for Passing VAWA[11]: “The lame-duck Congress has two weeks left to renew the Violence Against Women Act. Safety advocates say new data about a stunning drop in intimate-partner violence is good reason for lawmakers to speed passage.”